The invention relates to a frictionally stressed plastic component. A preferred field of application are frictionally stressed seals, bearings and guiding elements made of plastic material.
In many applications, good frictional characteristics and a low wear are demanded of plastic components in order to ensure a durability of the components which is as high as possible. For improving the tribological characteristics, it is known to embed dry lubricants, such as MoS2 or graphite, into the plastic materials. These are released during the abrasive wear of the plastic component and develop their friction-reducing and wear-reducing characteristic.
It is a disadvantage of this solution that only dry lubricants can be entered into the plastic materials. This considerably restricts the selection of usable lubricants. The use of lubricants which are not dry and particularly liquid lubricants is therefore completely eliminated. As a result, the selection of an optimal combination of lubricant and frictional partners is not permitted.
Another disadvantage of the above-mentioned solution is the fact that the dry lubricants enclosed as particles in the plastic material are held only mechanically in the plastic material environment. If the adjacent plastic material environment is partially removed by friction, a corresponding opening is created on the side facing the friction partner. Through this opening, the particles can leave the plastic material as well as the interactional area without carrying out their desired function. This is particularly disadvantageous if the friction partners are additionally protected from friction and wear by means of a liquid lubricant. In this case, the dry lubricant can easily be absorbed by the liquid lubricant and may be removed by it from the tribologically stressed area without developing its effect. This is particularly true when the liquid lubricant is additionally subjected to a revolution.
Another considerable disadvantage of the above-mentioned solution consists of the fact that the mechanical building-in of dry lubricants disadvantageously changes the mechanical characteristics of the plastic component. Thus, the components may become brittle, lose stability, or the resistance to temperature changes may be impaired. Particularly in the case of elastomer components, as a rule, the modulus of elasticity is reduced and, as a result, the deformation characteristics are impaired which can lead to a malfunctioning of the component, for example, leakages at sealing surfaces.
The invention is based on the technical problem of providing frictionally stressed plastic components into which arbitrary tribologically effective content substances can be built. The inclusion of the content substances in the plastic component should take place not only mechanically but, on the contrary, by chemical linkages with the plastic material. Also, the mechanical characteristics of the plastic starting material, and particularly its elasticity, should not be changed.
According to the invention, it is recognized that these problems will be solved by a plastic component, particularly an elastomer component. This elastomer component contains microcapsules, which in the event of their frictionally caused damaging, release at least one tribologically effective content substance that develops the desired friction-reducing and wear-reducing effect.